Jim James- Turner Hall Ballroom, 11/27/16

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Jim James is perhaps E.T., the Extraterrestrial of the rock 'n roll world.  Performing with his trademark floppy hair and sunglasses, coupled with a solid black dress shirt, overcoat, and crisply pressed charcoal trousers, James's appearance and aura alone may seem other-worldly. Jim James, both as a solo performer and front man of My Morning Jacket, has made a practice of connecting with the audience members in the front rows of his shows through finger touches, not unlike E.T. Similar to Steven Spielberg's lovable "phone homing" alien, James's simple touches have one mission only, and that is to connect to others trough the genuine love and passion of his performance.

On his second full-blown solo tour, this time supporting his recent critically acclaimed release, Eternally Even, Jim James delivered a soulful, spiritual and riveting performance at the Turner Hall Ballroom before a capacity crowd.  James is a true show man, and engaged the audience through a ninety minute set and half-hour encore by alternating between acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, and his swagger moving constantly from one end of the stage to another, often times with a finger outstretched along the way.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

While My Morning Jacket may serve as the rock 'n roll outlet for James's work, his solo material touches more heavily on soul, psychedelia and funk.  Backed by his opening band for this tour, fellow Louisville, Kentucky trio Twin Limb, along with an additional drummer and bass player, James let loose a sonic spectacle showcasing much of his current album, along with a healthy dose of tracks from his first major solo release, 2013's Regions of Light and Sound of God, along with a couple of well-placed covers and deep cuts along the way.

"Same Old Lie," a stalwart, albeit lyrically dark track off of Eternally Even, contrasted both lyrically and sonically with the encouragingly optimistic "Here in Spirit," as two of the standout performances. Older tunes from Regions of Light and Sound of God like "Know Til Now" and the final encore performance of "State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)" were particularly well-received and powerfully delivered as well.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

There is a reason why many Jim James fans describe his shows as spiritual and almost church-like experiences.  James is the real deal in terms of a performer who honestly wishes the best for his audience to grasp his messages of overcoming challenges and ultimately choosing love over hate.  In this manner, just like E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Jim James is a man and musician who's easy to love.

Twin Limb served as both the opening and backing band for Jim James.  During the trio's forty-five minute supporting set, the band,  cast on stage with deep red and black lighting, played a set filled with tracks from their recent debut full-length record, 2016's Haplo.  Juxtaposing dream-pop and trippy landscapes with intricately nuanced percussion provided by Maryliz Bender, Twin Limb provided fans with a performance equal parts tender, yearning and remorseful, with a heavily layered sound that showcased the band members individual and collective talents.


Jim James Setlist: From Setlist.fm

1. Hide in Plain Sight
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2. Know Til Now
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3. A New Life
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4. Actress
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5. Same Old Lie
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6. True Nature
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7. The World's Smiling Now
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8. In the Moment
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9. Here in Spirit
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10. Dear One
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11. I'm Set Free
    (The Velvet Underground cover)
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12. We Ain't Getting Any Younger Pt. 1
    (>)
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13. We Ain't Getting Any Younger Pt. 2
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14. Eternally Even
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15. Encore:
16. All Things Must Pass
    (George Harrison cover) (live debut by JJ)
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17. Down on the Bottom
    (The New Basement Tapes cover)
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18. Of the Mother Again
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19. State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)

Carl Broemel with Dave Simonett, SPACE, Evanston, IL , 11/18/16

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

There is a simple beauty that made the performance by Carl Broemel and Dave Simonett work on so many different levels. This theme encompassed a crisp fall Friday evening, starting with a My Morning Jacket "Jackitivists" meet up at a local Evanston pub & grill, to the exquisitely intimate venue SPACE, to the individual sets by the musicians themselves.  While best know for work in their respective groups-- Broemel is the lead guitarist extraordinaire for My Morning Jacket, and Simonett the virtuoso songwriter and front man for Trampled by Turtles-- the solo performances and joint collaborations by these two prolific artists just seemed to "click" amid the cozy confines of SPACE. With a stage that slightly protrudes into the crowd, seats line all three sides of the stage, and dimly lit cabaret tables are sprinkled throughout the venue, allowing for concert goers to take in the performance within close proximity of the artist, in a room with pristine acoustics.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

The evening began with a solo set by Simonett who played many newer or solo compositions with a smattering of tunes penned for Trampled by Turtles mixed in.  Simonett without the high powered bluegrass/Americana ramblings of his Trampled bandmates is an all-togetether different artist.  His songs showcased his narrative songwriting style with a humble, earnest, and subdued delivery.  The set highlight was when Simonett invited Broemel onstage to perform a sweeping rendition of "Midnight on the Interstate," perhaps my favorite Trampled by Turtles track, with Broemel adding rich timbre to the song through his saxophone work.

After a brief break, Broemel came on stage, performing a large part of his set from his recently released solo record 4th of July.  While Broemel may be best known for wailing on his axe alongside Jim James on high powered rock 'n roll numbers, make no mistake about it, Broemel is a solid song smith with a style uniquely his own.  In many ways, Broemel's work provides both a sensitivity and rawness which often is not seen as much in My Morning Jacket material.  Highlights included a hauntingly beautiful rendition of "Rockingchair Dancer," a well-placed cover of Radiohead's "Pyramid Song," an intimately perfect rendering of "Carried Away" (a stalwart track off of Broemel's first record, All Birds Say, from 2012), and a jammed out "one-man-band" epic "Fourth of July."

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

However, Broemel and Simonett saved the best for last, as the duo converged on a stripped down rendition of Leonard Cohen's masterpiece, "Hallelujah," which sent the crowd home with goosebumps.  The interplay between Simonett's soaring vocals and Broemel's guitar work on this cover was beautifully simple, as was their entire performance.

Carl Broemel Setlist:

1. Crawlspace
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2. In the Dark
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3. Best Of
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4. Snowflake
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5. Rockingchair Dancer
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6. Landing Gear
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7. Sleepy Lagoon
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8. Pyramid Song
   (Radiohead cover)
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9. 4th of July
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10. Retired
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11. Carried Away
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12. Hallelujah
    (Leonard Cohen cover)

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch